The present invention relates generally to welding apparatus, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus having a fan for a welding-type device insertable through the front panel of the device housing. The front panel has an opening formed to permit a fan to pass therethrough.
A known method for cooling internal components of a welding-type power source involves forcing outside air through a cooling vent or wind tunnel formed within a welding-type device. Welding-type power sources incorporating this feature are normally configured so that internal heat sinks are disposed in the vent or tunnel, and thus, within the path of the forced air. Therefore, a fan is commonly employed at one end of the vent or tunnel to force air through the power source. It is known and desirable to attach such a fan inside the housing of the power source so that all power source components are attached within a common housing. Also, a welding-type power source is stored and transported more conveniently when all components are positioned within a common, uniformly-shaped housing.
However, accessing a fan installed within the housing of a welding-type apparatus, for maintenance or replacement, can involve a considerable amount of removing and/or disconnecting components from the power source to reach the fan. Likewise, in some welding-type power sources, accessing components disposed within the cooling vent or tunnel may also require the same removing and disconnecting of components. The complexity involved in such maintenance can detract from the efficiency of a welding process or routine maintenance by increasing the time required to perform a simple task such as removing a cooling fan.
For example, previous models of welding-type power sources required that the top and side panels of the power source housing be removed. Then, a series of components had to be disconnected from the side of the unit so that the fan could be accessed and removed. Under this method, removing a fan required familiarity with multiple removal steps, keeping track of the various components, and then reconnecting the components in reverse order. This creates an increased likelihood that screws or other more important components will be misplaced, lost, or not reinstalled correctly, and is a rather time-consuming task.
Other welding-type power sources addressed these problems by providing for the fan to be removed from the front of the power source. A welding-type power source incorporating this type of fan installation is shown in FIG. 2. Removal of the fan in this configuration requires 1) removing the front grill, 2) unscrewing several fasteners to remove the entire front panel, 3) either disconnecting wires from the front panel to a circuit board and separating the circuit board from the front panel or disconnecting wires from the circuit board to the power source and separating the circuit board from the power source, and 4) disconnecting the fan. Understandably, this necessitates both an undesirable amount of time and a thorough knowledge of the wire connections within the power source.
It would therefore be desirable to have an apparatus and method for easily and quickly removing or installing a cooling fan in a welding-type power source with a minimal number of steps. Such an apparatus and method would allow replacement of the fan by less than highly experienced technicians.